I won't spend more than 125 bucks on a bottle of anything. But I really wince at wine going for that or higher, considering the short life once opened. I've had several pours of wine that were from bottles going from $150 up into the $500 range. But as my dad says, good wine is wine that tastes good to you. And of those high priced wines, I thought most were good, even great. But some weren't, to me at least. And there is simply too much good wine in the $25-100 range. Hell, I've had $8 dollar bottles that I thought were fantastic.

It's similar with bourbon. But generally speaking, the higher the price, the higher the proof, unless it's just minimally produced. The high test stuff is 110 or more. Blanton's is considered rather weak sauce at 93, I believe it is. It's good bourbon and popular because of the renown of the distillery as well as the marketing. And it's very smooth. But to many bourbon aficionados, smooth is an insult. Personally, I like bourbon to burn my nostrils and my throat, going down. They all have a little burn but a lot of the 80 proof stuff tastes almost like water to me, now.

I have my favorites that go for $65 and up in bourbons. But much like wine, there is just too much good stuff out there, some of it for under 20 bucks. Evan Williams Bottled in Bond goes for less than 20, I think. It's damn good. Old Grand Dad 114 proof is 30 bucks or so and that is a robust bourbon.

I also don't do the nuance thing with bourbon, much. I do taste and smell some flavors. But some of the flavor profiles that people say there are hints of, I am like, what am I doing wrong, lol?